Realization
by Sull89
Summary: One shot. It tore them apart, down to nothing. Something else, then, is going to have to break before they can even start to make thing better. TxA


For shadows-of-flame.

* * *

Through the door, the fading sunlight silhouetted the figure standing atop the steps. Unsure of whether or not she was welcome, the woman paused, her outline obscure through the afternoon heat waves. 

Torn looked up from the gun clasped loosely in his hands, to the shimmering female standing above him. Time seemed to slow, and for an interminable moment, everything around them stopped.

"Torn," Her voice finally echoed through the silence, breaking the serenity that had been. In a grating and violent rush, the real world suddenly returned to them both, as harsh and unrelenting as before.

Without a word, he looked back to the gun still clutched in his hands, ignoring that one singular word, the one that belonged to him more than anything. He shook his head, and although the movement was almost invisible, she saw.

Bringing a clutched hand up to her throat, she stood there and watched him. As the tears welled up in her eyes, she wrapped her fingers through the pendant encircling her neck, and then snapped it off.

"Fine," The word was choked as it escaped her lips, but it was clearly audible. "If…" When he still didn't look up at her, she flung the necklace at him, and then turned around and walked out the door without another word.

Slowly, Torn reached down and picked the ornament up off the floor where it had landed after hitting him. Now covered with a fine sheen of dust, the silver locket reflected his features only erratically.

The chain attached to it had broken in two places when she ripped it from her neck, and he could see the other piece glinting in the fading rays of sunlight, where it had fallen near her feet.

He sat there for a long time, staring at that on piece of chain as the rest of it dangled from his fist.

OOO

Collapsing onto her bed, Ashelin finally gave way to her tears. Letting them take full control of her, she released all her fury and pain into the simple cotton of her pillowcase.

Hearing the knock on her door, Ashelin forced her tears down. Quickly composing herself into at least a seeming of acceptability, if not the real thing, she opened the door a crack.

"It was Torn, wasn't it?"

She let the door swing open. Looking at the girl standing there, Ashelin once again felt herself dissolve into tears. Unable to get a word out, all she could do was nod as the girl wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders and led her back to the bed.

Holding her crying friend to her shoulder, Tess whispered, "Don't worry, it'll be alright."

OOO

"I don't understand her!" Rage had descended on Torn without any notice, and it gripped him with a vehemence he had never before experienced. The locket now lay smashed, below the wall where he had thrown it.

The silver shards flickered in the dusk, reflecting the final vestiges of light as Torn paced through the small room, "She honestly thinks I'll take her back after what she did?" He shook his head, "That'll never happen."

"Hey, boss-man."

Startled, Torn whipped his head up, toward the door. He hadn't heard anyone enter, but someone stood there now. Figuring out who it was, Torn acknowledged him with a single grunted syllable, "Sig."

The wastelander walked down the steps, "Were you talking about…" He paused, unsure if finishing his thought was the best thing to do. Finally gathering his courage to him, Sig asked, "Ashelin?"

Although wrath still had a grip on Torn, the arrival of his friend had slowly started to dissolve the bonds. Feeling defeated, overwhelmed by all his emotions, all Torn did was nod as Sig helped himself to a seat.

"C'mon man, you know she didn't mean it."

OOO

Tess stayed with her throughout the entire night. Ashelin took comfort in the presence of her comrade, but she still felt hollow inside. The loss of Torn was too much for her to imagine, or even contemplate.

She was past the point of crying, all her tears had dried, and no more would come. Now all Ashelin felt was the coarse buzz of anger beginning to fill her veins, and she felt it continue to grow until it screamed for a final release.

"What is his problem?" She shrieked, her voice echoing through the dead of the night, her pent up resentment against the injustice of her situation at last breaking free of her control, "I don't get it! I don't get him!"

Banging her fist against the wall, Ashelin left the imprint of her hand there, an everlasting memory of her torture. The tears wouldn't come back though, and when nothing would be more soothing than one last sob, the lack of them hit her like an iron fist.

Once again, Tess held her friend as she fought against the inward agony that was tearing her apart.

OOO

"That bitch!" In a fit of passionate rage, he threw the messenger into a wall. As the servant's neck severed with a violent crack the last thing he heard was, "I'll get that slut!"

His blood roaring through his veins, Erol shot a scornful look at the broken body slumped against the front wall of his office. Calling to one of the guards stationed outside his door, he snapped, "Clean it up."

The solider briskly saluted to his officer before picking up the body and carrying it out. Once the offensive object had been removed from his sight, Erol fell into his chair and propped his feet on his desk.

"She thinks she can go back to that traitor," he clenched his fist, "after she had me?" He laughed, and as the cruel and abrasive sound filled the room he said, "I don't."

OOO

The small flask of liquor grasped in Torn's hand shook when he set it down on the table. As he watched the amber liquid tremble in its clear bottle, thoughts of her and what had happened between them kept running through his mind.

Unbidden by him, his strongest memory rose up from the depths of his soul, to confront him with the image he had tried for so long to hide. It was her, that first and fateful night he had seen her.

He lost himself in remembrance, in the sights, the sounds, and the smells of the moment. She had been such an enigma then, and in many ways, she still was. That night, that one, extraordinary night, it had felt like a dream, one he wished he could have held onto forever.

The memory slowly fell apart, and underneath the weight of everything that was ever special to him, everything that revolved around her, everything he was so close to loosing, his heart began to drown. Sorrow pulled at the tender flesh of his spirit, leaving him feeling alone and broken.

"Ashelin…" Her name left a strange longing on his lips long after its last syllable had faded.

OOO

Ashelin had fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning, her body finally collapsing, stress causing it to shut down. Tess had been with her through it all, never leaving her side, and when Ashelin did plunge into sleep, Tess covered her with a comforter.

Leaving the door between them open, the blond-haired girl retreated to an armchair in the next room. She was going to get a little sleep, but she wasn't going to leave Ashelin alone yet. She could get a power nap and still be there for her friend when she awoke.

Tess slowly drifted into the realms of dream, her mind still contemplating ways to fix this problem between her two greatest friends.

OOO

Torn left the alcohol sitting on the table. Although his steps were a little tipsy, he made it to his bed without mishap and dropped into it, falling asleep upon contact with his sheets.

The day and its exertions had caught up with him, and sleep was a welcome release from it. Even if that release was only momentary, he needed it, before anxiety pushed him over the edge.

His unconscious mind still revolved around Ashelin, but when he woke up in the morning, he wouldn't remember much of it.

OOO

He had spent the better part of the night planning, and Erol now felt he had the perfect strategy. Ashelin would rue the day she defied him by trying to go back to that corrupt turncoat!

The sun had barely dawned, its tips could not even be seen, but it had begun to cast a fawn pink glow over the sky and into the palace windows. Leaving his room, Erol began the short walk to her quarters.

With a conceited smirk on his face, he opened the door and strutted into her chambers without knocking. As he saw her still slumbering, his smirk grew; the plan was coming along fine.

Reaching behind himself with one foot, he kicked the door, allowing it to slam into its frame with a violent crash. Elated, he watched as Ashelin began to stir underneath her quilt.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he stood in front of her door and waited for her to open her eyes. The nauseating sneer never left his features, and in his stance it was easily visible; he considered himself in full control.

Holding a hand to the base of her right ear, Ashelin slowly sat up. Her head was throbbing, but her right temple ached the worst. Gently, she shook her head, but all it did was cause the pain to escalate.

"Hey darling," Erol's voice was slick with sarcasm as he greeted the waking woman.

The sound sent a sharp, agonizing vibration through Ashelin's skull, but it wasn't because of her headache. She had heard that voice too many times before, and now every time she did, it made her sick.

Her eyes snapping open, Ashelin took in the man advancing on her from the doorway. She was still too weak though, to do anything but recoil in disgust as he sat at the foot of her bed.

Erol reached out a finger and started to slowly trail the appendage down Ashelin's leg, following its contours from the top of the blanket. He grinned as she pulled her leg back and spit out, "Get away from me!"

Feigning a look of distress, he stuck his lower lip out, "But we use to get so much closer..." His eyes beginning to fill with a lust that frightened her, Ashelin brought the covers up, as though they could protect her.

"No!" Her eyes flashing, her voice laced with a deadly bite, Ashelin tried to kick him away as he moved toward her. The blanket hampered her movement though, and all Erol did was laugh as he grabbed onto her foot and twisted it until a snap echoed through the room.

"It's too late, bitch. After you've been mine once, you're mine forever."

OOO

Torn woke up with a massive hangover, his brain pounding so much it felt like it was trying to break out of his head. As he staggered out into the kitchen he mumbled, "I wish Tess were here, she always had her remedy ready for me when I needed it."

What he left unspoken was that he wished Ashelin was there. Seeing her was the best cure for a hangover, and although he didn't say it aloud, his heart was shouting it at him.

Slumped over his sink, it was all Torn could do to keep his scant dinner of the night before down.

OOO

Tess had woken up when Erol slammed the door, but she hadn't moved, fearing he'd hear her. She knew though, that he was going to try to do something to Ashelin, and she wasn't going to let that happen.

As quietly as she could Tess placed her feet on the floor, and then eased her weight onto them. Finally relieved of its burden, the chair let loose a small creak. Freezing in her tracks, Tess looked to see if Erol had heard. Heaving an inner sigh of relief, she saw that he was too intent on his conversation with Ashelin to pay attention to anything else.

Walking on the balls of her feet to minimize noise, Tess sneaked into Ashelin's bedchamber. Hearing a violent crack, she saw that Erol had advanced too close to her friend, and she heard Ashelin whimper in pain as the intruder whispered something into her ear.

Grabbing the object closest to her hand, Tess's fingers wrapped around the handle of a fire poker. Throwing all her caution to the four winds, she ran forward and hit Erol over the head with as much strength as she could muster.

The force of the blow knocked Erol out completely and he collapsed on top of Ashelin, only one single grunt escaping his throat.

As she stood over his fallen body, Tess still held the poker in a "ready" position. Glaring down hatefully at the creature she had just sedated, only Ashelin's small cries of pain brought her back from her blood lust.

"Ashelin!" In a semi-panic, Tess put all her effort into getting Erol's dead weight off her friend. Finally shoving him onto the floor, Tess gently peeled back the covers from Ashelin and her foot.

Drawing in a sharp breath, Tess shook her head. "It's broken, "she said, gesturing to the foot. Lying at an odd angle to the rest of Ashelin's body, it was evident that the snap had been Erol breaking her ankle.

"We have to get you to Onin!" Tess waved her hands, much like the old soothsayer, "She can fix this!" Biting her lower lip, she paused, her brow furrowed in contention.

"I can't get you there on my own." She wrung her hands, "And there is no way you can walk, even if I helped you. You're going to have to be carried." Decisively, she pumped her fist into the air, "I know, I'll get Torn to help!"

Ashelin paled, "No! He doesn't want anything to do with me! I can't ask him for help!"

Tess winked at the startled redhead, "That's the beauty of it, you won't be the one asking." Her brow wrinkling again, Tess looked down to the body lying on the floor, "But… I can't leave you here alone with him. What if he wakes up?"

Looking over the edge of her bed, Ashelin regarded the figure on the floor without any trace of emotion in her eyes. "He won't wake, you probably gave him a concussion." When Tess still looked unsure, she pointed to the poker, "If it makes you feel better, give me that."

Agreeing with a final nod, Tess handed it over and then ran out of the room, headed for the Underground Hideout.

OOO

The sun had finally appeared over the mountains to the west when Torn heard the door to his hideout slide open. For safety, he grabbed his gun off the counter before walking into the front room.

Tess came barreling down the steps and Torn only had enough time to toss his gun onto the war table before she ran smack into him. Catching her by an arm, Torn stopped her forward momentum before she ran into a wall.

"What is it?" He asked, slightly alarmed by how heavy her breathing was, and how violent her chest shook. It had always seemed like Tess could run forever, without any exertion. For her to be this tired… She must have run a long way.

"It's Ashelin," she panted.

Her name caused Torn to come to a dead halt and leave everything else forgotten, "Ashelin? What's wrong with her?" He whipped around, grabbing his gun, "Where is she?"

Tess snatched at him before he could run out the door, "You need to listen to me." Tugging his sleeve, she got Torn to calm down and hear her out. "Just let me explain, okay?"

She ran through the story, outlining everything Torn needed to know. Before letting go of his shirt Tess said, "We're going to have to carry her out. Just let me-"

"No." Torn's voice wasn't cold, but it told Tess that he wouldn't book any argument, "You're too tired, you need rest. I can carry her myself." Strapping his gun over his shoulder, he finished, "I can do it, you sleep."

Wearily, Tess nodded her consent before sliding into one of the beds set by the door.

OOO

Hearing the knock on her door, Ashelin looked up from her deep contemplation. The thoughts, _Would Torn even come_ and, _What'll I do if he does_ had been circling through her head ever since Tess left, but she hadn't been able to come up with an answer to either one.

Raising her voice slightly, she asked, "Yeah?"

"Ashelin? Can I come in?"

It was Torn! As her heart began to race even faster, she answered him, "Yeah."

Slowly, he opened the door and let himself in. His eyes were cast down toward the floor, but as he began to speak, he brought them up to meet Ashelin's. Drawing in a deep breath he gestured to her foot, "Tess, she told me what happened to… Well, what happened."

Ashelin began bunching the quilt together under her fingers, "Yeah… Where is she anyway?"

"I had her stay at the hideout." He moved a little closer to the bed, a little closer to Ashelin, "She was dog tired."

"She did a lot for me, I don't know how I'll ever repay her." Ashelin watched as Torn came nearer, her heat beating faster with every step he took, the pain of her foot forgotten in the glory of his presence.

"I don't think she wants repayment. What she did she did out of friendship, nothing else," With a disdainful glance at the body sprawled in front of Ashelin's bed, Torn made sure he stepped on it when he got close enough.

Silently, he made a vow to himself. When he got the chance, he would make sure Erol regretted what he had done this night, he would make sure he regretted it for a long time.

"Ashelin…" Hearing the tone of his voice, she finally meet Torn's eyes clearly. The tenderness that shone in them amazed her, and by the way he looked at her, Ashelin knew that she had finally gotten him back.

She had finally gotten him back.

Nodding her head, tears filling her eyes, she lifted her arms and allowed him to pick her up. Sliding his arms around her waist and under her legs, Torn lifted her from the bed, moving as carefully as he could.

She let loose only one small whimper when her ankle scrapped over the pillow. Torn whispered into her ear, apologizing for hurting her, but all she did was shake her head. He hadn't hurt her in the least, he was helping her in more ways then one.

Torn carried her out of her room and through the halls. When they finally stepped out into the world and the magnificent midday sun was shining down upon them, Ashelin stopped him by placing her hand on his chest, "Torn… Why did you come for me?"

He looked down into her eyes again, "Because I love you." He pressed his cheek against the top of her forehead, "Because I've always loved you."

His name was the last thing that touched her lips before his.

* * *

I hope you guys liked it! This was my first try at a one-shot. Well anyway, review please, and tell me what you thought! 

Sull


End file.
